


Spidertruth

by Not_You



Series: Eight-Armed Hugs [10]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Animal Instincts, Animalistic, Announcements, Biting, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Clint Barton Feels, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fatherhood, Press and Tabloids, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:57:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4226208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky's truth needs to be known, and so does the brood's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spidertruth

By the time the girls are in seventh grade, Bucky is ready to be introduced to the public as the mostly-recovered semi-penitent that he is. Working with Sam and playing with the girls have each done their part, as has Steve's unwavering support, and Natasha is really proud to be part of it all when she sees Bucky take a deep breath, glance down at the shimmery Captain America shield sticker on the back of his hand, and not panic.

Natasha takes his flesh hand and squeezes gently. “Don't worry, Dad. We'll look after you.” It's still mostly a joke when she says it, but it makes Bucky smiles as he squeezes back.

“Thanks, kiddo.”

Steve comes up on Bucky's other side, taking the prosthetic hand. “Ready?”

“As I'll ever be,” Bucky says with a little sidelong smile. Clint and the spiderlings file into place behind them and Tony goes out to open things up because of all of them, he's the most used to it. He lets the world know that they have an announcement to make, and that it's a lot more Cap's story than his own. The rest of them file out and sit down as Steve takes the podium to do his very best to explain to his country that the Winter Soldier is gone now, even though James Barnes is still alive. There have been a few preliminary announcements to the effect that the Soldier is no longer a threat, but this one makes the room explode with questions.

Natasha's skin crawls, and she gives the girls a sympathetic look because they hate being so public. They're strangely focused today, though, with a resolute look on their faces that probably means trouble ahead. Hopefully it's just their natural protectiveness over Bucky. Steve is doing pretty well on his own, actually, and he and Bucky answer the questions as best they can. Bucky stands strong through most of it, his voice only wavering once, when he reiterates that he is no danger to the girls and would not be anywhere near them if he was.

“Ma'am,” Steve says to the reporter in question, “the children's mother has fought the Winter Soldier, and all of them are here today because they care about Bucky.”

He seems irritated with himself for letting the nickname slip out, but Natasha can see it helping their case. There are more questions, of course, because humans always talk too much. Except for Clint. She glances at him and he gives her a slight smile, like he knows what she's thinking. Between them, the girls are spider-still, big eyes taking in every detail of the crowd and the venue. The look very watchful, and ready to eviscerate anyone who gives their grandpa trouble.

At long last, Tony calls time, reminding the crowd that they're dealing with very old men here, and that they get cranky without their afternoon naps. 

Steve grumbles and Bucky just laughs and everything is very calm until the girls make their move. All eight of them leap up at once. Oksana picks up her chair and Anastasia, Rada, and Zhanna team up to gently push the adults aside so she can place it behind the podium and Ariadna can stand on it to reach the microphone while Marina, Zoya, and Alisa keep their parents in their seats with a combination of light pressure and pleading looks.

“We have an announcement to make,” Ariadna says, looking a lot like her father as she adjusts the microphone with an assured, professional little gesture. “We are not failed clones. Clint Barton is our biological father, Natasha Romanov is our mother, and Bucky is our grandfather. They've kept this secret to protect the family, but we want the world to know who we really are.”

Natasha thinks again that she should have eaten them as all the attention turns onto her and Clint. He seems to be having some kind of moment, so she sighs, hugs Marina because she's the closest, and then stands and goes to the podium, still holding Marina's hand. “In my old line of work,” she says, “secrecy is the only way of life. Everything else gets you killed.” She glances down at Marina, and the look on her daughter's face softens her irritation with her brood. “Due to genetic modifications, I produce high-order multiples who develop quickly. The nuts and bolts may be unusual, but I love them as much as any other mother. So of course I want to protect them from anyone who might want to use the truth against them in any way.” She looks down at Zoya, who has come up beside her, taking her other hand. “I didn't realize how much it was bothering them.”

She manages to get away without giving away too much more sensitive information, and in the limo the girls all pile onto their father, covering him in hugs and hair-ruffles and the little affectionate nibbles on his forearms that they've been saying they're too old for lately. He just hugs each of them in turn and often two at a time, his eyes wet as he tells them that he loves them and isn't mad, helping them to climb over him so they can do the same to Bucky where he's sitting beside Steve.

“I'm not mad, either,” Natasha adds, when Oksana and Marina look over at her, and suddenly the brood is swarming her as well. She really isn't, and softly apologizes to each of them for not seeing how much they had needed the truth to be told.

“Are we done having a moment?” Tony asks as they pull up to the tower again.

“I don't think so, uncle Tony!” Zhanna chirps, pouncing on him with Zoya only a second behind. He laughs and says that he'll take his spiderhugs like a man.

It's still early spring, the trees in the various little Stark Industries green spaces just starting to show tiny buds, but as Natasha steps out of the car she feels a warm breeze that has nothing to do with the actual temperature and everything to do with her cycle trying to start again.

“You know,” Natasha tells the brood as they take a break from monitoring the media to eat dinner, “it's probably for the best that you forced my hand.”

“Really, Mama?” Rada asks. They've been calling her Mom for a while, deeming it more grownup, and she's touched by the old address.

“Yes. I have a feeling I might get broody again this summer, and now any younger siblings have been preemptively explained.” She smiles at Clint. “If your father is all right with it, of course.”

“Oh, hey,” Zhanna says, “are you guys gonna get married? A wedding would be fun.”

Clint laughs. “Well, spiderbabe?”

“I suppose so,” Natasha says, “but later, I don't want to add to the media frenzy.”

Clint and the brood all laugh, Alisa saying, “Mama, you're so cold!” through her giggles.

“Spider instincts,” Natasha growls, and takes a ferocious bite of her fish.

That night, she and Clint lie in their web and discuss it a little more seriously. Clint has no religion and Natasha barely understands human spirituality at all, so they won't do it in a church, and they've spent more than enough of their time in dreary government offices.

“I guess we'll have to be total hippies and have it outdoors,” Clint says, shrugging as best he can with Natasha's head on his shoulder. “Not that nature really blesses our union, either.”

“She does more than tolerate it,” Natasha says, rolling onto him and biting his neck because she loves him so much. “We've been blessed with one healthy brood so far.”

Clint shivers and tips his head back, making a little mammalian noise as she sucks at the hollow of his throat, barely teasing the skin with the sharp edges of her teeth. “So far?” he gasps.

“If you have no objections,” Natasha murmurs, and bites him again, making him shiver.

“I don't think I do,” he whispers, his arms tightening around her.


End file.
